3 Ball-Striking Myths That Are Hurting Your Iron Play

Iron ball-striking is one of those parts of the game that can shift fast. One day, you’re flushing everything. The next day, you’re catching it thin, fat or just a little off. If you’re trying to get your iron contact dialed in and more consistent, make sure these three myths aren’t holding you back. I can tell you from experience that the drill to work on fixing myth No. 1 is still something I use sometimes when I warm up to play.

Myth #1: You need to hit down hard on the ball to compress it

The “hit down” concept can be a little difficult to understand because it’s partially true. A descending blow is part of a great strike. But trying to force that downward hit can ruin your contact. When most amateur golfers think about hitting down, they think of a steep motion that ends at the ground.

When you swing too steeply into the turf, you lose energy into the ground. Even if you catch the ball first, you’re sacrificing distance, launch and consistency.

The goal isn’t just down — it’s through.

Try this drill: Place a tee about two inches in front of the golf ball (on your target line). Now hit shots where your divot starts at the ball and finishes past the tee. This helps train the feeling of hitting through the ball with forward shaft lean. You’ll start to let go of the concept of hitting down only.

A great training aid for this concept is the Divot Board. It gives you immediate feedback on your low point location and shows whether you’re striking the ground after the ball.

Myth #2: Keeping your head down helps you make solid contact and hit fewer thin shots

This one sounds helpful but you have to be careful with it.

There’s a difference between maintaining spine angle and focusing on the ball and freezing your head in place. When you freeze, you lock up your body, and often it prevents your weight from shifting and moving forward as it should.

Forcing your head down could be the reason you hit fat and thin shots. Great players can stay down and rotate their pressure forward.

Try this instead: Shift your visual focus slightly ahead of the golf ball, about two to three inches toward the target. Picture a line there and aim to make your strike at that point, not under the ball. Stop focusing on your head and instead just think about looking at this spot when you swing. It trains your body to move through the shot and strike the ball first, then turf.

Myth #3: Ball-striking problems start in the swing, not the setup

Many ball-striking issues start before the club even moves.

One common culprit is that your sternum is too far behind the ball at address. That alone can shift your low point backward, leading to chunked or thin shots.

Misaligned forearms can also lead to an inconsistent path and poor face control through impact.

Quick fix: Set up to the ball and check where your sternum is positioned. It should be directly over or slightly ahead of the ball, not behind it. A good way to visualize this is to imagine a line running down from the center of your chest to the ground. If that line lands behind the ball, shift your pressure slightly forward until it’s centered or just ahead.

Then check your forearms. They should be level with each other and parallel to your target line. If one is higher or angled, adjust until it is aligned.

Final thought

If your iron play has been inconsistent lately, these three ball-striking myths are a great place to start. Sometimes it’s not about chasing a new swing move. It’s about rethinking the advice you’ve been following and implementing simple drills to get better.

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